Nucl Med Mol Imaging.
2011 Dec;45(4):314-318.
Lung Adenocarcinoma Staged as an Unknown Primary Presenting with Symptomatic Colon Metastases: Staging by 18F-FDG PET/CT
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Brandon Regional Health Centre, 150 McTavish Ave E, Brandon, MB R7A 2B3, Canada. makisw79@yahoo.com
- 2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, 687 Pine Ave West, Floor M2, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A1, Canada.
Abstract
- A 66-year-old man, who presented with bright red blood per rectum, was referred for an 18F-FDG PET/CT after colonoscopy showed two suspicious colon masses, which were biopsied to reveal an adenocarcinoma of unknown origin. PET/CT showed two intensely FDG-avid colon masses as well as an unsuspected FDG-avid lung mass, which was biopsied to reveal a primary lung adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the two colon metastases were of pulmonary origin. It is extremely rare for lung carcinoma to present with symptomatic colon metastases, with only 11 cases described in the literature. We report the first case of the utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT in staging a patient who presented with symptomatic colon metastases of an unknown primary lung malignancy.